THOMASVILLE — Corey Clark and Ira Schoffel left Thomasville. But the Rose City never left the former Times-Enterprise writers.

When Clark, a sports reporter in Thomasville from 1998-2000 and Schoffel, a former sports, news and managing editor at the Times-Enterprise, teamed up to examine the process of college recruiting, they turned to their old stomping grounds for the in-depth look at the recruitment of an athlete struggling with the academic qualifications.

So, former Thomas County Central quarterback Erik Walden joined Notre Dame running back Darius Walker, Florida State quarterback Drew Weatherford and Vanderbilt tight end Brad Miller as the subjects of “Signing Day.”

“They all had such different situations,” Clark, now at the Gwinnett Daily Post said. “They all offset each other.”

The main focus of the book was on Walker, the star back who broke Herschel Walker’s state touchdown record and was wooed by close to 70 schools. However, Schoffel said Walden’s tale is just as powerful.

Walden was a dazzling talent in the Central backfield which led to many recruiters viewing him as an athlete, not a quarterback. That coupled with his academic struggles led to the big schools backing off and Walden committing to Division II Carson-Newman.

“Whenever a kid struggles with academics or if they don’t qualify, people think they’re not smart,” Schoffel, currently the managing editor of The Osceola in Tallahassee, Fla., said. “Erik is a very smart kid. He just didn’t take it seriously and I was the same way in high school.

“It happens to all kinds of kids.”

Schoffel said when he approached Central coach Ed Pilcher about the project, Pilcher warned him of Walden’s difficulties in the classroom. Schoffel told Pilcher that was the main reason they were interested in Walden’s story.

That honesty and the duo’s background in Thomasville helped through the delicate process of discussing Walden’s academic problems.

“They gave us so much insight,” Clark said. “Had we been a couple of unknown journalists they might have been more skeptical of the whole thing.

“Erik’s case was so heavily dependent on qualifying and that can be a touchy or embarrassing subject. They knew we weren’t going to burn them.”

“Signing Day” is currently in a limited release and can be purchased at www.signingdaybook.com.